Farmhouse Buttermilk Brown Sugar Cake

Cake:
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Topping:
6 tablespoon melted butter
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
2/3 to 1 cup diced pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Lightly grease a 9"x13" pan.
2. Beat the butter and brown sugar together until smooth.
3. Add the eggs, beating until smooth.
4. Stir in the buttermilk and vanilla extract.
5. Add the baking soda, salt, and flour to the wet ingredients, beating until thoroughly combined.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
7. Bake the cake for 35 minutes.  Towards the end of the baking time, prepare the topping by following these directions...
8. Stir the melted butter and the sugar together.  Add the milk, pecans, and salt.  The glaze will be thick but pourable.
9. Top the baked cake with the topping, and return to the oven for another 10 minutes. 
10. Remove the cake from the oven.  The topping will look very runny. You can eat the cake hot, with the glaze still gooey, or let the cake sit at room temperature for a few hours, by which time the glaze will have set.
11. Yield:  24 servings.